Improvement in propulsion of vessels



J'.A ECKHARDT. PROPTJLSI'ON' 0F VESSELS.

Patented July 4,1876.

UNITED STATES PATENT @Errea JACOB EGKHARDT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI..

IMPROVEMENT IN PROPULSION OF VESSELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,407. dated July 4,1876 application filed June 20, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB ECKHARDT, of St. Louis, in the county of St.Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Propellin g Boats; and

do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, whichform a part of this specification.

My invention relates to means for propelling steamships and othervessels; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of paddlesor plungers operating horizontally in boxes or casings formed within thehull of the vessel, and also inl the arrangement of sliding doors forclosing said boxes or casings, as will be herein-after' more fully setforth. Y

In the annexed drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view ofthe hull of a vesselembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, withone-half of the hull broken open to show the interior thereof. y

A represents the hull of a vessel, made pointed at'both ends, so as tobe able to run in either direction Without turning around. In each sideof the hull A, at a suitable distance from each end, is formed a box orcasing, B, opening through the side of the hull, and made perfectlywater-tight on the inside, so that no water can escape into the vessel.Each box is made somewhat in the form of a right-angle triangle, havingone small side, a, toward the center of the vessel, one long side, b,extending at right 'angles thereto, forward, till itjoins the hull, andthe third side ofthe triangle is that part of the hull. Through the sidea of the box B are passed two stuifing-boxes, d d, through each of whichis passed a plunger, C, having a plunger-rod, connected, by a link, e,with a crank, i, on a shaft, h, which runs across the Vessel, andconnects in the same manner with the corresponding plunger on the otherside. The four plungers at each end of the vessel are thus connected totwo shafts, and the cranks on them are set in opposite directions, sothat one plunger will move forward, and the other backward, and viceversa.

The shafts h of each set are geared together in any suitable orconvenient manner, and the two sets should be so connected to theoperating-en gine that either set may be thrown in gear, and the boatthus made to move in either direction.

The boxes or casings B, where the plungers do not work, should beclosed, and to this end each box is provided with a sliding door, D,Working, when open, in a double shell, as seen atin Fig. 1. On top ofeach door is a rack-bar, m, operated by a pinion, a, on a shaft, p,passing through the vessel, and by a pinion on its .other end operatingthe corresponding door on that side. y

These shafts may be operate-d by hand or by suitable connection with theengine.

This invention is applicable to almost everyv kindof boats or vessels,whether canal-boats, river-boats, or ocean-steamcrs, and is simple,cheap, and durable. .There is nothing beyond the hull that can becomeentangled in lines or cables, or that can be injured by sudden contactwith other objects, and by a proper construction of the plungers anydesired speed may be obtained.

I am aware that it has not been uncommon to construct vessels with boxesor compartments closed by sliding covers or doors, in which propellersand plungers of different characters have been operated; but by myconstruction of boxes, when the 'sliding doors are closed, a smoothoutside surface is maintained, and the general run of the vesselpreserved in its passage through the water, thus lessening theobstructions by doing away with sudden angles in the hull. When thedoors are open and the plungers are operating against the outside water,the action of said plungers is direct, and in a line axiallwtll the keelof the vessel, and the loca-tion of the boxes in the sides, instead ofthe bows, stern, or center of the boat, obv'iates the necessity ofcutting away the dead-wood;7 which last is always a cause of weakness ofa ship. In

addition to these advantages, there is but I 2. The combination of thehull A, boxes B, plungers C, and the sliding doors D, arranged andoperated substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JACOB ECKHARDT.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. FRAZEE, HERM. LAUTEN.

